Should I turn down my heat pump thermostat when I'm not home?

A: The U.S. Department of Energy says probably not. If your heat pump uses electric resistance heat as a backup, warming your house up again when you get home can use more electricity than you save.

When in heat mode, maintaining a moderate setting is typically the most cost-effective practice, according to the Energy Department. Newer, specially designed programmable thermostats for heat pumps make setting back the thermostat cost-effective. These thermostats typically use special algorithms to minimize the use of backup electric resistance heat systems, according to the Energy Department.

If you are going to be gone for an extended period, it may make sense to turn the heat down.

Louisville, Kentucky • Southern Indiana

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Should I turn down my heat pump thermostat when I'm not home?

The U.S. Department of Energy says probably not. If your heat pump uses electric resistance heat as a backup, warming your house up again when you get home can use more electricity than you save.